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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. rule — government
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. press — newspapers
  8. band — a music group
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. land — to come down
  13. band — a ring
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rule — a law
  16. spring — the season
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. press — a publisher
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. press — to push
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com